"Consistency" was the first word that sprang to mind for Ash Wilson after the Newcastle Jets twice gave up the lead then went behind before drawing 3-3 with Canberra on Sunday.
But the Jets coach was happy to see her arsenal of strikepower continue to grow with three different scorers at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Marie Dolvik Markussen and Sophie Harding scored their second goals of the season and substitute Sunny Franco produced the 63rd-minute equaliser within moments of hitting the pitch.
The Jets have now had nine different scorers combine for their 12 goals across six games. The goal tally is equal to the amount they amassed in all 12 games last season.
"Apart from our five-goal haul [against Wellington in round two], it's been very low-goalscoring numbers for us with one here and there," Wilson said.
"So, to be able to score three, and it's been three different people, that's fantastic for us. It gives us a lot of flexibility and options either to start games with or to bring off the bench and you know that people are coming on and having an impact, which is really important.
"A team is not just the people on the field at the beginning of the game. It's a whole effort through the 90 minutes and everyone has a part to play in that. So, for there to be a number of goalscorers this season, whereas in the past we've probably relied on maybe one or two people, is a very pleasing thing that is coming out of this season at the moment."
The Jets have created plenty of scoring opportunities in the past two seasons, but a failure to finish under pressure at times cost them.
They have also relied heavily on their all-time leading scorer Tara Andrews to find the back of the net.
The 27-year-old was left on the bench on Sunday in a move that prompted plenty of questions.
She made way for Dolvik Markussen, who scored with a spectacular strike from outside the 18-year-old box just 53 seconds after kick-off.
Jemma House started in her preferred central position in the three-pronged attack with the Norwegian and Harding.
"We review the teams we're playing and in this game we thought maybe starting Housey was going to give us a little bit of tactical flexibility and to be able to exploit some of the things that we identified," Wilson said.
"It also meant Tars [Andrews] was going to be coming on with players that hadn't been marking her all game, and hopefully a little bit more space and coming up against tired legs.
"We've also got a pretty heavy schedule coming up in the next couple of weeks, so we have to be mindful about how we use people and how we manage them to make sure that we can get the best out of everyone over the next few weeks."
The Jets are in sixth position with nine points from six outings. They have three games in hand and play the third-placed Reds (15) in Adelaide this Friday in a "must-win" game.
The match was scheduled for Sunday but is believed to have been brought forward to accommodate the potential for one of their postponed matches to be played midweek next week.
Newcastle have catch-up games to play against Melbourne Victory (12), Melbourne City (18) and Brisbane (7).
Wilson wants consistent discipline in defence after Canberra turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead by scoring two goals in two minutes in the second half. Both goals - in the 60th and 62nd minutes - came off set pieces.
"It's a little bit frustrating when you get up and you give away two really quick goals then you're chasing the game," Wilson said.
"We just needed to be a bit more calm and manage the moments of the game a bit better, because we were 2-1 up and at that point I thought we were absorbing any pressure and we were controlling the game."
